Collection vessel for collecting, measuring, and aggregrating precipitation accumulation data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150381-B2
Application number	US-201916674253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2019
Priority date	Mar 20, 2017
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments for controlling precipitation collection vessels to accurately and efficiently collect, measure, and aggregate precipitation accumulation data are disclosed. In one embodiment according to aspects of the present invention, a computer-implemented method includes collecting snow in a plurality of collection vessels by orienting an open end of each of the plurality of collection vessels perpendicularly to a direction of the wind based at least in part on a wind model. The computer-implemented method further includes measuring a snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels. The computer-implemented method further includes aggregating the snow level data for each of the plurality of snow collection by assembling the snow accumulation data from each of the plurality of collection vessels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
collecting snow in a plurality of collection vessels by orienting an open end of each of the plurality of collection vessels perpendicularly to a direction of the wind based at least in part on a wind model;
measuring a snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels; and
aggregating the snow level data for each of the plurality of snow collection by assembling the snow accumulation data from each of the plurality of collection vessels.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising re-orienting the open end of at least one of the plurality of collection vessels based at least in part on a change in the wind model.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein orienting the open end of one or more of the plurality of collection vessels further comprises:
orienting, by a processing device, the one or more of the plurality collection vessels with respect to an x-y plane by adjusting a first motor based at least in part on the wind model; and
orienting, by the processing device, the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels with respect to a z-axis by adjusting a second motor based at least in part on the wind model such that the open end of the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels is aligned perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:
re-orienting, by the processing device, the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels with respect to the x-y plane by adjusting the first motor based at least in part on a change in the wind model; and
re-orienting, by the processing device, the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels with respect to the z-axis by adjusting the second motor based at least in part on the change in the wind model.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the wind model is a three-dimensional wind model.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
collecting wind data using a wind sensor; and
generating the wind model based at least in part on the wind data,
wherein the wind model comprises a mean wind direction.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring the snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate the snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels comprises:
measuring a snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels;
heating each of the plurality of collection vessels to convert the snow into melted precipitation; and
measuring a melted precipitation level to determine an equivalent water accumulation of the snow.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the measuring the snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate the snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels further comprises actuating a release valve of one or more of the plurality of collection vessels to eliminate the melted precipitation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the release valve is activated responsive to the melted precipitation level exceeding a threshold.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the release valve is activated periodically.

11. A system comprising:
a memory comprising computer readable instructions; and
a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions controlling the processing device to perform operations comprising:
collecting snow in a plurality of collection vessels by orienting an open end of each of the plurality of collection vessels perpendicularly to a direction of the wind based at least in part on a wind model;
measuring a snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels; and
aggregating the snow level data for each of the plurality of snow collection by assembling the snow accumulation data from each of the plurality of collection vessels.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise re-orienting the open end of at least one of the plurality of collection vessels based at least in part on a change in the wind model.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein orienting the open end of one or more of the plurality of collection vessels further comprises:
orienting, by a processing device, the one or more of the plurality collection vessels with respect to an x-y plane by adjusting a first motor based at least in part on the wind model; and
orienting, by the processing device, the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels with respect to a z-axis by adjusting a second motor based at least in part on the wind model such that the open end of the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels is aligned perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
re-orienting, by the processing device, the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels with respect to the x-y plane by adjusting the first motor based at least in part on a change in the wind model; and
re-orienting, by the processing device, the one or more of the plurality of collection vessels with respect to the z-axis by adjusting the second motor based at least in part on the change in the wind model.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the wind model is a three-dimensional wind model.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
collecting wind data using a wind sensor; and
generating the wind model based at least in part on the wind data,
wherein the wind model comprises a mean wind direction.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the measuring the snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate the snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels comprises:
measuring a snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels;
heating each of the plurality of collection vessels to convert the snow into melted precipitation; and
measuring a melted precipitation level to determine an equivalent water accumulation of the snow.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the measuring the snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate the snow level data for each of the plurality of collection vessels further comprises actuating a release valve of one or more of the plurality of collection vessels to eliminate the melted precipitation.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the release valve is activated responsive to the melted precipitation level exceeding a threshold, and wherein the release valve is activated periodically.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
collecting snow in a plurality of collection vessels by orienting an open end of each of the plurality of collection vessels perpendicularly to a direction of the wind based at least in part on a wind model;
measuring a snow level of the snow in each of the plurality of collection vessels to generate snow level data for each of the plurality of col

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Klein Levente
• Lu Siyuan
• Marianno Fernando J
• Van Kessel Theodore G

Classifications

• G01W1/14 Primary

  Rainfall or precipitation gauges (measuring volume in general G01F) · CPC title

• G01W1/10

  Devices for predicting weather conditions (computers per se G06; display devices G09) · CPC title